High explosive



HTE

WENDELL R. SWINT, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR TC) E. I. DU FONT m; NEMGUBS & COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF Patented Apr. 4, ieaa.

DELAWARE.

HIGH EXPLQSIVE- lAJeLfiTL Specification ofLetters Patent.

Ho Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WENDELL R. SWINT,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Vvilmington, in the county of New Castle and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful High Explosives, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to blasting explosives or dynamites having a large percentage of cellulose nitrate, and comprises as a new explosiv composition a mixture characterized by containing from about 3 to 15% of water in addition to nitrocellulose, nitroglycerine, and an inorganic nitrate.

I have discovered that a dynamite having certain desirable properties can be produced from smokeless powder and cordite by incorporating in the composition, in addition to such ingredients as sodium nitrate and chalk, a certain proportion of water. This discovery is especially important in view of the great quantities of smokeless powder and cordite which were on hand when the Euro pean war terminated and which are now available.

A typical dynamite made in accordance with my invention has the following composition Cellulose nitrate 17 parts. Nitroglycerine '10 Vaseline 2 Sodium nitrate a- 31 Chalk 1 Water 8 porated in the smokeless powder and in the cordite by grinding these materials, separately, in contact with an excess of water, and then removing excess water by centrifuging the comminuted materials. By op.- erating in this manner a ground smokeless powder is obtained containing preferably 15% of water, and a ground cordite con taining preferably 10% of water.

Application filed August 11,1921. Serial No. 491,515.

v By the expression smokeless powder I refer to the ordinary smokeless powder (pyro cannon powder) containing about 2% of residual solvent, and about 0.5% of a stabilizer such as diphenylamine; and by the term cordite, I mean the ordinary compositions, such as are referred to in the literature, containing from 25 to 50% of nitroglycerine, from e5 to 70% of nitrocellulose, and about 5% of mineral jelly or Vaseline.

Expressed in terms of the ingredients actually used, the typical composition given abov would be Ground smokeless powder (containing 15% The proportions of the several ingredients may vary within wide limits' Thus the smokeless powder (dry) may vary between, say, 13 and 36% based on the final product; the cordite (dry) between, say, 13 and 55%; the sodium nitrate between '0 and 50%; and the water between 3 and 15%. It will 'be understood, however, that these limits may in certain cases be exceeded without. departing from my invention. In general, I have found that valuable compositlons made in accordance with my invention' will have. constituents falling within the following ranges; cellulose nitrate, from about 20 to 75%,; nitroglycerine, from about 3 to 27%; and water, from about 3 to 15%.

The advantages of my new composition are that it can be subjected to very much rougher handling without danger from the standpoint of shock, friction, sparks, etc.,

than can ordinary dynamite. The water also imparts a higher density to the product, thus permitting a greater amount of explosive to be packed in a given sized bore hole. Furthermore, powders containing water in about this percentage have an appreciably higher made without the presence of the water. The total water content should preferably not exceed 15% since above this fi re the velocity of detonation than similar powders mixture may fail to detonate. On t e other hand, the water content should preferably not be less than 3% since the adyantages of increased safety, higher density, and

higher velocity of detonation are not fully realized with lower percentages.

Although I prefer to use smokeless powder composed of nitrocellulose, residual solvent, and stabilizer, I may also use smokeless powders coated or impregnated with a deterrent such as dinitrotoluene. The nitrocellulose as it exists in ground cordite appears to be in a form which enables it to function with marked advantage as the primary ingredient of a blasting explosive.

I claim 1. An explosive composition comprising nitroglycerine, cellulose nitrate, and from about 3, to 15% of water.

2. An explosive composition comprising nitroglycerine, cellulose nitrate, an inorganic nitrate, and from about 3 to 15% of water.

3. An explosive-composition comprising from about 20 to 75% of cellulose nitrate, from about 3 to 27% of nitroglycerine, and from about 3 to 15% of water.

4. An explosive composition comprising from about 20 to 75% of cellulose nitrate, from about 3 to 27% of nitroglycerine, from O to 50% of sodium nitrate, and from about 3 to 15% of-water.

5. An explosive composition comprising finely comminuted smokeless powder, finely comminuted cordite, and water.

6. An explosive composition comprising finely comminuted smokeless powder, finely comminuted cordite, and from about 3 to 15% of water.

7. An explosive composition comprising finely comminuted smokeless powder, finely comminuted cordite, an inorganic nitrate, and water.

8. An explosive composition comprising from about 13 to 36% of finely comminuted smokeless powder, from about 13 to 55% of finely comminuted cordite, from O to 50% of sodium nitrate, and from about 3 to 15% of water. v

9. A blasting explosive comprising finely comminuted smokeless powder, from about 13 to 55% of finely comminuted cordite,'an inorganic nitrate, and water.

10. A blasting explosive comprising finely comminuted smokeless powder, from about 13 to 55% of finely comminuted cordite, an inorganic nitrate, and from about 3 to 15% of water.

11. A blasting explosii e comprising nitroglycerine, vaseline, cellulose nitrate, an inorganic nitrate, and water.

12. A blasting explosive comprising nitroglycerine, cellulose nitrate, an inorganic nitrate, chalk, and from about 3 to 15% of water.

13. A blasting explosive comprising nitro glyceri-ne, Vaseline, cellulose nitrate, an inorganic nitrate, chalk, and water.

14. In the process of producing a blasting explosive containing cordite, the step which comprises grinding the cordite in contact with substantially more than 10% of its weight of water.

15. In the process of producing a blasting explosive containing cordite, the steps which comprise grinding the cordite in contact with substantially more than 10% of its weight of water, and then removing from the ground cordite all but about 10% of water.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WENDELL R. SWINT. 

